


The Servant's Apprentice

by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle



Series: Me @ Merlin Writers: What if You Didn't Murder My Favorite Characters? [11]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, But Daegal really want to be friends, Canon Era, Daegal is loving life, Explicit Language, Gen, He's going to kill everyone in Camelot and then himself, Humor, M/M, Merlin had had Daegal for six days, Mordred is VERY irritated by this, Nobody knows why Merlin had adopted this random kid, POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), being a sweet kid, but if anything happened to him..., trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23414176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle/pseuds/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Summary: "...what?" Arthur asked blearily as the boy set down his food. Merlin didn't even pause as he went to the dresser and tossed some more clothes out of the cabinet. "You... You have an apprentice?" He repeated and squinted. "Why?""Oh, you know," Merlin shrugged, tossing a tunic on the bed "In case I die or something." He said. The boy blinked before glancing over at Merlin with pursed lips."You're not dying, are you?" He asked and Arthur had to shake his head to try and keep up with the conversation."I don't think so... But you can never be certain." Merlin told him with an air of stoicism. Arthur scowled. Honestly. This was ridiculous. Clearly, this was his servant's newest attempt to get out of work (or at least work less)."Merlin, you're not getting an apprentice." Arthur told him. Merlin stopped to look at the king."I am. I have. He's right there. Say hi, Daegal.""Hi!"OrDaegal lives. Merlin takes him on as an apprentice. Arthur isn't sure what's going on. Mordred is also mad for some reason.
Relationships: Arthur & Daegal, Daegal & Merlin (Merlin), Daegal & Mordred, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Me @ Merlin Writers: What if You Didn't Murder My Favorite Characters? [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592419
Comments: 196
Kudos: 2944
Collections: Canon Doesn't Spark Joy





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! So same with Alator's fic, here's the link to [ Daegal's wiki page ](https://merlin.fandom.com/wiki/Daegal) in case you don't remember him. Btw I'm convinced that in some other universe that Daegal is a love child between Freya and Merlin or Merlin and Will. Look at the picture of him and tell me he doesn't look like a mix of them smh. 
> 
> Also, can you believe how far we made it? 11 stories in one series. Thanks for all the support!

Arthur should be used to waking up to nonsense by now.

After all, Merlin tended to enjoy stuffing food in his face, tearing off covers, and (worst of all) yelling out cheery greetings as methods to get him up. So in all honesty, Arthur wasn't sure why he wasn't expecting this. It was a very natural step in the absurdity of Arthur's rule.

"Rise and shine!"

Even through the fog of sleep, Arthur felt fairly certain that voice did not belong to Merlin. He cracked open an eye to make out someone who... _Looked_ like Merlin. A younger Merlin, perhaps, from when Arthur met him years ago... With lighter hair and brown eyes. Was this a dream? Or - Merlin didn't have a child, did he? No, no... This boy wasn't _that_ young. Though he was eerily familiar...

"You might have to yell. He's a little deaf sometimes."

 _That_ was Merlin's voice. Arthur shifted a bit at it, trying to find where the Hell his servant was as he glanced around the room. The boy was shuffling nervously before taking a deep breath and nodding.

"RISE AND SHINE, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

Arthur jumped, burying his face into his pillow in order to shield his ears from such a vicious assault.

"Who the _Hell_ are you?" He shouted into the pillow "MERLIN!"

There was more shuffling behind him and felt a finger poke at his arm.

"I think I've upset him."

"Don't worry about it. Everything upsets him." Merlin's voice responded dryly and the pillow was ripped away. "Come on. Get up, we have things to do." He said and Arthur tried to reach for another pillow only to find that one pulled away too. "Daegal is my apprentice so he'll be joining us." He added, leaving Arthur to register the last bit of those words through a sleep addled mind.

"...what?" He asked blearily as the boy set down his food. Merlin didn't even pause as he went to the dresser and tossed some more clothes out of the cabinet. "You... You have an apprentice?" He repeated and squinted. "Why?"

"Oh, you know," Merlin shrugged, tossing a tunic on the bed "In case I die or something." He said. The boy blinked before glancing over at Merlin with pursed lips.

"You're not dying, are you?" He asked and Arthur had to shake his head to try and keep up with the conversation.

"I don't think so... But you can never be certain." Merlin told him with an air of stoicism. Arthur scowled. Honestly. This was ridiculous. Clearly, this was his servant's newest attempt to get out of work (or at least work less).

"Merlin, you're not getting an apprentice." Arthur told him. Merlin stopped to look at the king. 

"I am. I have. He's right there. Say hi, Daegal." 

"Hi!" 

"No," Arthur shook his head "I'm not paying for it. You don't need one - you're a servant. We have plenty of servants."

"I get paid?" Daegal asked, looking a little perplexed. He glanced over at Merlin who rolled his eyes.

"Yes. You can have some of my pay." He said. Daegal looked absolutely stunned by this news as he sat down in one of Arthur's armchairs to digest this news. Arthur considered arguing more, but a knock caught his attention. He glared at the pair before snapping up his tunic and pulling it over his head. Merlin sighed and walked over to fix it as the cloth seemed to fold on itself, catching on Arthur's chest and arms.

"Enter." Arthur said when it was finally righted. The door opened as Merlin stepped away and Mordred popped his head into the room. Finally. Someone who wouldn't drive him crazy first thing in the morning. Sure enough, Mordred gave a perfectly polite bow as he fully entered the room and fixed the king with a bright smile.

"Good morning, my lord. I'm sorry to be disturbing you so early." He said. Arthur scoffed.

"Trust me, Mordred. You are the least disturbing thing I've dealt with in the ten minutes of being awake." He told him and gestured for his knight to sit. "What can I do for you?" He asked. Mordred gave nod as he took a seat and opened his mouth to speak - only to pause when he saw Daegel straightening the bed.

"I... Who are you?" He asked, rather bluntly. Daegal glanced up. After looking over his shoulder to ensure it was him that Mordred was referring to, he looked back at the knight and smiled.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Daegal. Merlin's apprentice." He said. Mordred stared. Very slowly, he turned to Merlin who gave a slight shrug in response. Arthur cleared his throat.

"It... I'm not sure what _that_ is," He admitted with a sigh and wave of his hand as he sat at the table "But you can just ignore them. What did you come to tell me?" He asked, taking some food from the plate Daegal had gotten. Merlin placed some water in front of him.

"Oh... I, um... I see." Mordred said and turned back to Arthur. "We've been getting reports on various patrols about a group of bandits - I'm sorry, how long have you two known one another?" He interrupted himself to gesture between Daegal and Merlin. They pair looked at exchanged wary glances before turning back to them with identical glares. Bewildering. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all." Merlin said and clapped Daegal on the shoulder "It's been about...What? A week? Not quite a week... Six days, technically." He answered. Mordred made a spluttering noise.

"The bandits?" Arthur prompted, tapping on the table to regain his attention. He wasn't getting involved in whatever weirdness Merlin had gotten himself into. If he wanted to adopt this random child than that was on him. Arthur wasn't dealing with it right now.

"Right, right." Mordred chuckled, but his eyes had narrowed slightly as he continued to look Daegal up and down. "Some patrols have noted a group of bandits east of the castle. Sir Leon wants to know if we should watch them if encountered again or try to make an arrest." He said and bit his lip. "How can you trust someone you've only known for six days?" He tacked on, now looking solely at Merlin. "You bring him into the castle? To serve the _king?"_ He asked, gesturing to Arthur. Merlin paused in collecting the dishes to consider the words carefully.

"I have a great judge of character." He said, looking Mordred dead in the eyes.

Arthur wasn't sure what it was that Merlin said... But Mordred's mouth dropped.

Right. He wasn't getting this report without a fight, was he?

"Merlin. Please take him and leave." Arthur instructed with a nod towards the door. Daegal dropped the pillow he was fluffing to walk out of the room, only to be stopped by Mordred raising a hand. They were the same age, Arthur realized. He wondered if that had something to do with how weirdly his knight was reacting to Daegal.

"How did you even meet Merlin?" He asked, ignoring where the servant was holding the door open. Daegal tilted his head a bit, looking Mordred up and down for a moment before turning back to Merlin.

"Well," Daegal said slowly and when Merlin nodded turned back to the knight. "There was a bit of a lapse in judgement on my part and I... Um, put Merlin in a dangerous position." He admitted with a shrug. Arthur frowned. What did _that_ mean? "But, Merlin was able to look past it and we worked together to fix things and now I'm here." he shrugged. Mordred stared.

"You... You..." He tried and Daegal bowed his head.

"It was nice to meet you, your majesty. And you, Sir Mordred." He added, giving a small smile "Merlin has spoken much about you."

Arthur got the feeling his knight was being tortured right in front of his eyes... He just wasn't sure how.

This was only confirmed when the door slammed shut behind them.

"I hate him." Mordred whispered. Arthur rose his eyebrows. "What...? Why does he...? He isn't... He isn't even...!" The knight managed and gestured wildly. "Merlin likes _him?"_ He finally got out, voice going a little high. "Six days!" He added and crossed his arms over his chest. "Six _days_."

"Are you alright?"

"You like me, right?"

Arthur wasn't sure he had ever been asked such a question so bluntly before.

"Um...Yes, Mordred. I do like you." He answered cautiously. Mordred nodded.

"Good," He muttered and glared at the door. "Good."

* * *

No offense to Merlin's taste in apprentices but... This one was _just_ as awful as he was.

"And this? What's this?" Daegal asked, mystified as he stared at the jewel on Arthur's goblet. Merlin snorted and took it from his hand to actually refill it with wine.

"Emeralds." He answered and gave the cup back to Arthur. "You know, you could try pouring something _into_ the glasses once and awhile." He added. Daegal blinked before looking down at the pitcher in his hand. He stared at it for a moment before giving a slow nod.

"What kind of wine is this?" He asked and wrinkled his nose "It smells horrible. Not that know much about wine. Is it supposed to smell bad? I've never had any to know. Well, I know _some_ things. It's purple. Usually. I heard tales of wine as red as blood, but I think that maybe it was just a bunch of idiots who might have drank blood-"

"Do your servants usually talk this much?" Lord Baird asked Arthur as he snatched the pitcher from Daegal's hand to pour his own wine. Immediately, there was a flinch at the tone before Daegal offered some muttered apologies. Arthur frowned. He was only a child. Annoying? Yes. Absolutely. Talkative? God, even more so than Merlin once you got him going. But all in all, still just a child. He turned to tell the visiting lord as much, but didn't really have a chance since Merlin had decided it was a grand idea to just... Dump the pitcher. Just... Right over the lord's head.

God, it was like he _wanted_ Arthur to die of heart failure sometimes.

"I'm so sorry," Merlin said pleasantly as the lord spluttered out while gasps echoed around the dining room. "I am very clumsy. The king often says the same." He clicked his tongue with a frown before taking some cloth to pat at him. Arthur immediately gestured for someone else to take over (well, someone else _other_ than Daegal and Merlin) as he immediately offered an apology of his own before dragging Merlin away.

" _Why?"_ He hissed, yanking him towards the back of his room "Are you insane? You know he's going to ask for your head on a platter-"

"It was an accident." Merlin said innocently. Arthur closed his eyes. "You know how clumsy I am, sire."

"You just dumped a pitcher of wine on his head." Arthur growled and Merlin nodded. "You... Okay. Not today. _Not_ today." He whispered with a glare. "Make yourself and the kid scarce tonight. And _don't_ let Baird see you again for the rest of his stay." He warned. Merlin nodded, giving a bright smile in return. "You owe me for not ordering a flogging." He muttered. Merlin scoffed.

"You would never order such a thing."

"I-"

"It was me!"

Merlin and Arthur froze as they both turned to where Daegal was standing with wide eyes and hands still tightly clasped around the pitcher of wine.

"...what was you?" Arthur asked and turned to Merlin who shrugged. Daegal took a deep breath.

"I poured the wine on Lord Baird."

Arthur stared. Was there no end to the weirdness the day held? Apparently not.

"I saw Merlin do it."

"He didn’t."

”Daegal, I was there. I saw what happened.”

"It was me.” He insisted firmly. "I did it. I should take the punishment. I understand if you need to execute me." He tacked on, voice wavering a bit towards the end. Arthur blinked. He had no idea what to make of any of this. He looked back at Merlin who only shook his head. Right. Arthur wasn't sure why he was expecting him to be helpful. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he nodded. Merlin leaned in.

"You're not executing him." He whispered and Arthur glowered at him. "I'm serious. If you execute him I'll quit."

"I'm not going to - No. Both of you get out."

* * *

Things with Daegal only seemed to get stranger... And Arthur wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Say," Gwaine asked as Daegal came in to collect Arthur's armor. "Do you have an interest in becoming a knight, lad?" He asked, eyes flicking the boy up and down. Daegal scoffed before giving a slight shake of the head. "I see... A physician, perhaps?" He tried. At this, Daegal frowned. Once again, the sense of familiarity washed over Arthur. He _knew_ this boy from somewhere. Somehow. Daegal only shrugged.

"I know about some herbal remedies... Merlin will probably teach me more. I don't think there's anything particular I want to be. Just... Helpful. And good." He said with a firm nod. From beside Gwaine, Mordred made a noise of disgust as he bitterly took off his own armor. Leon tilted his head before turning to the others with raised eyebrows. Arthur knew what they were all thinking. Merlin had a habit of... Well. How did he put this? Befriending very useful people? After all, it was Merlin who brought him most of his most trusted knights. Merlin who had introduced Gwen into his life. If the past was anything to go by... Then this Daegal _must_ have done something to pique his interest. What? Well, Arthur had absolutely no idea. Maybe Merlin had befriended him for the sole purpose of annoying Mordred.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Merlin really got him in case he died or something." Elyan mused when Daegal left the room. Arthur raised an eyebrow, "With all due respect, my lord...You aren't very cooperative with other servants. It kind of makes sense he would want to show someone the ropes of how to handle you."

"But he's not allowed to die!" Gwaine objected with a frown "And why not use one of the other servants?"

"Perhaps he saw the kid on the street and wanted to give him a job?" Percival mused as he put an axe away. "We might be reading into a bit much." He added and the rest of the knights gave a murmur of agreement. "It'll be useful - and Merlin should have friends who aren't nobility." He added. Arthur frowned. "Oh, you know what I mean. I bet he's tired of using titles and bowing." Percival said with a wave of his hand. Arthur sniffed. It wasn't like Merlin did those things _anyways_.

"Hey...Mordred." Gwaine said slowly as he turned to the youngest knight. "Daegal is about your age. Why don't you befriend him? Or! Here's an idea, make him _your_ servant." He said, snapping his fingers. Arthur blinked. "That way we can learn a bit more about him and Merlin doesn't have to worry about paying him since princess over here is a stickler." He added with a jerk of his head towards Arthur.

Mordred gaped.

"I... _Me?"_ He managed and went bright red. "I can't. We don't like each other."

"He just got here." Gwaine dismissed "Come on, kid. Merlin is a good judge of character. I'm sure this guy is fun." He said. This appeared to be the wrong thing to say because Mordred flushed an even darker shade of red before muttering something under his breath. "Alright, easy. It was just an ide-"

"I'll do it." Mordred snapped and glared at the door Daegal had exited through "But we _won't_ be friends."

* * *

"You're a good friend, Mordred."

"We are _not_ friends." Mordred grumbled as Daegal pranced behind him with a huge grin. "I... I just happened to have an extra." He sighed and Arthur turned to see the servant admiring a pair of leather gloves with obvious delight. Mordred rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of a smile on his lips as he went to grab his sword. Curiously, Arthur ducked behind the the wall of weapons. Kings didn't... _Lurk_ or eavesdrop by any means... But Arthur wasn't doing that anyways. He was simply observing. Quietly. "I don't get why Emrys likes you."

"Emrys?"

"You know. That's... You know." Mordred gestured vaguely. Arthur frowned. He had no idea who the Hell Emrys was or when Daegal had apparently met him.

"Oh! Right. He told me people sometimes call him that." Daegal snapped his fingers "Um. I don't know why he likes me either. I did almost get him killed." He shrugged. Mordred shook his head. "But he's pretty forgiving. He's even teaching me some... _Stuff_." He whispered and made some gesture that Arthur couldn't quite see through the walls of swords and maces. Mordred hummed. "I'm pretty bad at it though."

"Well, you have the best teacher in the world." Mordred told him dryly.

"I _know_ ," Daegal said eagerly "You should have seen him on our way back! We got surrounded by these men and, um, _Emrys_ was telling them all to bugger off and the one guy was like 'you don't even have a sword' and Emrys was all 'I don't _need_ one' and then BAM!" He yelled, making both Arthur and Mordred jump. "It was awesome. He's brilliant." He added. Arthur felt his brows furrow together, trying to decipher what half of that meant. What man didn't need a sword to take down a group of men? His eyes narrowed. "And then, you know, when he saved the king... I thought for sure I was a goner too."

Wait. _Wait -_

"It was you."

The words were out of his mouth before he could really consider them. Or the fact that Mordred and Daegal were definitely not aware that the king was listening in. There was a clatter and Arthur stepped around the shelf to see Mordred had gone very white as he glanced back at where Daegal dropped a piece of Mordred's armor.

"My lord." Mordred said cautiously, when it became clear that Daegal was too shocked to speak. "We weren't aware you were here."

"You saved me. During the peace treaty with Sarrum." Arthur said, shaking his finger at the boy. Daegal swallowed and stepped back. "There was an assassin and you... You were injured, weren't you? I thought... I thought you died." He added, voice lowering at the end. Merlin had said nothing could be done, didn't he? Why would he imply such a thing? Or not tell Arthur that this new 'apprentice' was the very child that the king owed his life to? Hell, Arthur would knight him right here and now -

"What's going on?"

Speaking of Merlin.

"When were you going to tell me that I owed this boy my life?" Arthur asked, gesturing to a still petrified looking Daegal. "I thought it was strange you brought him here so suddenly. You know, I can offer a much better reward than being a servant in my household." He said and Merlin raised an eyebrow. Oh. Right. Merlin's reward for saving Arthur's life had been a placed as a servant in his household. "That's _different_ ," He objected, not waiting for Merlin to vocalize this argument. "You're my personal servant." He said stubbornly.

"What do you think I'm training him to be?" Merlin asked and turned to Daegal. "Which horse hates Arthur and you should never let near him?"

"Hercules."

"Favorite food?"

"Pickled eggs."

"What hand does he usually throw with?"

"Right - but sometimes he'll use his left if he's trying to miss you on purpose."

"What do you do if he tries to skip a council meeting by leaving the castle?"

"Start a fire in the kitchens."

"See? He's already learning so much." Merlin nodded, gesturing at the other servant with an air of pride. Arthur opened his mouth to argue only to replay the last few sentences in his head.

"You're the one who keeps starting fires whenever I try to escape?" He asked, voice rising a bit in outrage. Merlin shrugged. "I - We're coming back to that later. You aren't leaving your position anytime soon, Merlin. There's no reason to train him on this nonsense." He added. His lip curled back slightly - _daring_ Merlin to try and contradict him. If the man honestly thought he could abandon Arthur after all this time... Well. He had another thing coming. "Do you want to be a knight?" He sighed and Daegal shook his head. "Money?" He tried. Daegal shook his head again, wide eyes flicking over to Merlin with obvious panic. "...you really want to be at Merlin's beck and call?" He asked. This was probably the most bewildering thing of all. Daegal nodded.

Arthur thought he understood people at one point in his life. Unfortunately, the more people he met... The more that proved untrue. Or maybe it was just the people that Merlin kept introducing him to.

"I like Merlin." Daegal finally said, wringing his hands together. "Though I thank you for the generosity, my lord." He added before brightening a bit. "However... There is _one_ thing I wouldn't mind if you are so keen to get me something." He added. Merlin blinked at this, confusion resting on his face as Daegal rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet. "A horse?" He asked, voice so incredibly hopeful that even Arthur felt a pang of amusement. Mordred made a disbelieving noise at the back of his throat.

"You don't know _how_ to ride a horse!" The knight objected "You told me so this morning. What would you do with a horse you can't even ride?" He asked and Daegal beamed.

"You can teach me, right?"

"No." Mordred told him flatly. Daegal's face fell.

"Yes," Arthur cut in. Mordred's mouth parted as he spun around to look at Arthur with nothing short of betrayal in his eyes. "We'll get you a horse. And Mordred can spend some time after training to teach you." He added. Daegal grinned, giving Arthur a bow of his head with murmured thank yous. Merlin, for his part, was frowning as he looked between Mordred and Daegal for a moment before giving a slight shake of his head and turning away.

"I thought you said you liked me." Mordred muttered. Arthur honestly wasn't sure what to say to him.

* * *

Arthur was tired of walking in on whatever absurdity his staff got into.

"...why?"

Daegal glanced around the room, eyes flicking from the ripped curtains to the broken pottery to finally the busted furniture. Arthur was more concerned about the red pool on the floor that looked suspiciously like blood, but wasn't willing to investigate immediately.

"Hello, your majesty. Um... I'll have this cleaned up for you." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What happened?" He asked. Daegal looked around again before nodding which wasn't really an answer, but Arthur had really low expectations at this point anyways. "And where's Merlin?"

"Merlin? Right. He... He went... Somewhere." Daegal said, pointing to Arthur. "He definitely went somewhere. Where, you ask? Well, I'll, uh, I'll tell you where. Specifically. You won't be able to guess it though."

"Is he at the tavern?" Arthur asked, annoyance rising at an incredibly rapid rate. Record setting, really.

"No! No, no, no. He... No!" Daegal laughed. "No, he is... With... Someone."

"He's with someone?" Arthur asked slowly. Okay. He wasn't sure what that meant at all. "Was he with someone when all of _this_ happened?" He asked, gesturing to the demolished room. For the love of - were those _claw marks?_ He had to bite his tongue to keep from shouting. Meanwhile, Daegal nodded.

"Yes, your majesty. He was actually here when it happened." He said. Arthur stared. Wait. _What?_

"He was... With someone... In the room... When _this_ happened?" He reiterated. Daegal nodded before pausing and immediately shaking his head.

"Wait. No. Not like that! He...I... No. That's not right. Um." Daegal opened his mouth. "A lion got in." He decided. Arthur stared. "Yeah, a lion got him and Merlin killed it and took someone to dispose of its body. That's exactly what happened - and, um, the lion didn't have wings or anything like that." He added. Arthur inwardly sighed.

"Right, of course. I would have thought it needed wings to get on the topmost floor of the castle without anyone noticing." He said. Daegal winced. Before Arthur could decide whether or not this was even worth pursuing the door banged open to reveal Merlin himself. To be fair, the man really _had_ looked like he had gone and fought a lion too. His clothes were in tatters and a nasty scratch hit the side of his face. Arthur nodded. Right then. Was it possible to resign from being king?

"Arthur." Merlin greeted and looked at Daegal. "Hi." He said. Arthur was figuring out which of his many (many) questions he wanted to ask first when Merlin's look of panic morphed into a frown. "You're hurt." He said. Arthur looked down. No, he was- Oh. Daegal. Merlin took a few long strides to the boy and gently lifted his arm to look at a scrape. "Well, I guess now is a good time to show you how to clean a wound." He mused. Daegal perked up at this prospect, straightening his shoulders so that Merlin had his absolute attention.

"If you're not too busy. The king is here." Arthur said dryly. Merlin scowled over his shoulder.

"My apprentice is hurt." He said and Arthur threw his hands up.

"Why is my castle in disarray, Merlin? What's this about a lion and you being with someone?" He demanded. Daegal winced again, giving Merlin a weak grin when the servant turned to look at him. Groaning, Merlin let go of his arm and lightly pushed him towards the door.

"Go see Gaius." He said and turned back to Arthur. "It's really just this one room, you know. Your castle is fine." He informed him. Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Listen, I can explain everything, but you have a speech in an hour so you should probably be preparing for that." He said and walked over to spin Arthur around and lead him out of the room. Arthur made a bunch of incoherent noises which were almost immediately dismissed. "Stop trying to get out of it, sire. People look forward to hearing your speeches... That I write." He added the last part under his breath.

"Stop trying to change the subject-"

"No, the subject of your speech is the same. Tranquility. Peace. I kept it all along those lines."

" _Merlin-"_

"Okay, you got me. Daegal wrote your speech this time." He said. Arthur stopped walking. He wasn't sure if this was true or if Merlin said it simply to redirect his line of questioning... If so, then it worked. "Don't worry. I looked over it and it's _fine_... But if you want to check over it yourself you should probably get back to your room to practice it." He told him.

For the record: Arthur was well aware of what Merlin was doing... But just in case Daegal really did write his speech.... He would pocket the lion questions for later.

* * *

"Mordred. Mordred, come on. _Mordred_."

Merlin tensed - lips pursing at Daegal's voice ringing through the room. Arthur rolled his eyes as he shoved some papers in his arms. He was tired. Just... So tired. Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. Perhaps Mordred was also in the same boat. He had certainly been more withdrawn than usual, that was for certain.

"I was _there_ , Mordred!" Daegal frowned and stepped around the knight to shove him backwards. Merlin immediately abandoned Arthur's papers, setting them to the side at the action as he took a step towards the pair. Arthur didn't berate him - a sense of irritation rising at his knight being so obviously hassled in front of him. "He had no choice in the matter." He said. Mordred didn't respond, only jutting his chin out slightly.

"Is there a problem?" Arthur asked. Daegal stared at Mordred. Immediately, the boy's face hardened for a second before turning to Arthur with a forced smile.

"Nothing, my lord. Merely a misunderstanding-"

"I've been practicing sorcery." Daegal interrupted. Arthur's mind blanked for a moment. He _had_ to be kidding, right? Really? _Really?_ They were doing this? Now? Merlin immediately brushed past Arthur, putting a hand on the servant's arm. Interestingly enough, it wasn't Arthur he pulled him away from. Mordred seemed less surprised as Merlin stepped between him and Daegal. "My mother was a sorceress killed by your father," Daegal continued and Arthur couldn't help but marvel at how utterly absent he was of fear as he said those words. Knowing he was speaking to the son of the man who killed his mother apparently. "A druid offered to teach me magic and I agreed. I have never used it to harm anyone or go against Camelot."

"Some might say that to use magic is to go against Camelot." Arthur said calmly. Daegal shrugged.

"Is that what you say?" He asked and at this, Merlin's eyes flicked over Arthur with barely concealed curiosity. "You offered to spare the druid girl her life. I was there. I know you did. Am I to receive the same treatment?" He asked and Arthur closed his eyes. Right. The druid girl. Arthur had been trying not to think of her. To think there was someone willing to die simply to die against Camelot.

"I made peace with druids. Not sorcerers." He said quietly and shook his head. "Why are you telling me this, Daegal? What reason do you have to put your life on the line like this?" He frowned, shaking his head. Merlin narrowed his eyes. Arthur scowled back at him and gave a vague gesture around them. What the Hell was he supposed to do with this? They were surrounded by two fighting children - one of which was a sorcerer - and Merlin was looking at him like _Arthur_ was the one causing problems? That was a little unnecessary. "I'm not going to kill you, Daegal." He sighed and a smile hinted at the boy's face. "But I need to reconsider how comfortable I am letting you stay in my kingdom, let alone my household." He added on and the smile disappeared.

"I... Understand." He said just as Merlin opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, Mordred cut in.

"But he's allied himself with the druids," He said and bit his lip, eyes flicking over the servant before taking a long breath. "With... My kind."

"Your kind?" Arthur repeated. Wait. Wait, a fucking minute. _Wait_. "You're a druid?" He asked, voice rising. He couldn't believe this. What the Hell? Mordred nodded.

"Um," Merlin said and winced "This might be bad timing, but, uh-"

"You're not a sorcerer, Merlin. You're not allowed to be." Arthur told him flatly and Merlin bit his lip before giving an apologetic shrug. "Are you _kidding_ me? All of you are sorcerers?" He said, voice steadily rising with each word. "I - _what?"_

"Merlin is actually the most powerful sorcerer in the world!" Daegal said eagerly "And get this! He's your protector an he's teaching me magic to help protect you too! Isn't that-" He started but was cut off by Merlin slowly putting a hand over his mouth and shaking his head.

"Shh... Not right now." He whispered as Arthur tried and failed to form words. "I... I'm really sorry, my lord. I hadn't planned on saying anything this suddenly, but with _these two_..." He trailed off with a glare at Mordred and Daegal. "What even compelled you to say anything, Daegal?" He asked offhandedly, lowering his hand from the boy's mouth. Daegal didn't speak though. He simply shifted his gaze to Mordred before shuffling a bit uncomfortably.

They were _sorcerers? All of them?!_

"The fault would fall to me," Mordred finally said quietly and put a hand on Daegal's arm. "The druid girl Arthur executed was close to me. Her... Her name was Kara and I believed her to be unjustly killed due to an unjust hatred of magic. Daegal was trying to show me that Arthur was willing to spare magic and that Kara's actions had led to her own death."

Merlin had worked for him for years! What the _fuck_ was this? And what was this nonsense about him being powerful? That couldn't be right. Merlin cried when he cut onions. He got outwitted by a rat once. He ate blueberries even though it broke his arms out in awful rashes. He once spent two days looking for a shoe. It just didn't add up.

"Were... Were you considering...?" Merlin frowned, trailing off with a slight glance towards where Arthur was still frozen. Mordred nodded. "Was this the first time you considered such a thing?" He asked, voice lowering. Mordred nodded again. Merlin went silent. "I think I made a mistake about you, Mordred." He said quietly.

Mordred. He hadn't seen him bare a druid mark... Maybe Arthur should have been checking for that. Only, he _had_ made peace with them so... Maybe this wasn't a big deal? Was Mordred even good at fighting? Or did he rely on his magic to trick them all? The kid was only like ten. How the Hell did he learn magic already? Who taught his six-year-old knight magic? Mordred hadn't spoken much of his parents of childhood. He should have known. He should have known something was off with this three-year-old appearing from the midst of nowhere. Arthur admittedly might have been charmed by his infant face and excitement to use a sword.

"What do you mean?"

And _Daegal?_ Daegal jumped at his own shadow! And nobody could be more devoted to being good. This is the child who spent three hours with Guinevere yesterday trying to help her sew a dress. Why hadn't he just used magic to do it, anyhow? Maybe he hadn't learned sewing spells yet. Sewing spells. Was there such a thing? It seemed like an inane use of power considering the depravity of magic. Three of them. There were _three of them._

"I haven't trusted you. Not since we met and not a day afterwards."

"Yes. I've... Noticed that, Emrys."

"Emrys?" Arthur found himself repeating, jolting back into the current conversation. "You've said that name once before. Are you...?" He said and turned to where Merlin went a little red. "You lied about your _name?"_ He whispered, outrage growing. "I should have known. _Merlin_. What a ridiculous cover. Who just picks the name of an animal and calls themselves such? You might as well have gone around calling yourself Pigeon." He sniffed. Daegal laughed, though (to his credit) he did try to conceal it into a cough.

"Um... My name really is Merlin. Emrys is just what the druids know me as. I will definitely report your criticisms back to my mother though." Merlin told him dryly. Arthur frowned. Oh. His mistake. "Listen, I have a lot to explain to... Everyone here."

"Not me!" Daegal cut in with a raise of his hands. Everyone turned to him. "Merlin hasn't lied to me." He added with a shrug. Merlin rose his arms in what Arthur could identify as the universal _'seriously?'_ gesture. Daegal made a face. "Sorry. Um... I'll be over here." He added, clapping Mordred on the shoulder. Arthur rose his hands.

"No," He said and Merlin flinched away "I... don't think I can handle an explanation right now. Is anyone else a magic user that I should know about? Guinevere? Leon? Lancelot, perhaps?" He asked. Merlin opened his mouth and then closed it. " _Lancelot?"_ He whispered.

"Well, no. He wasn't. He, uh... Just knew about... My...Magic." Merlin told him and gave a weak grin. "Are we being banished or...?"

"I need a drink." Arthur said and looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling couldn't hurt him. There were no sorcerers up there. Just some wood and stone. He could handle wood and stone. He could not handle three bleeding sorcerers. "But... I... Let me ask one more question." He sighed, forcing himself to look back at the three. "Merlin, you don't trust Mordred. Fine. I don't know why, but okay." He said and Mordred scowled at that. "Daegal, you... Do trust him?" He asked, turning to the other boy. "Hadn't Merlin told you to be wary of him?" He asked. It seemed like the least important question at the moment, but one thing Arthur had learned from years of leading an army was to understand how the soldiers operated amongst each other.

"He... Told me he was concerned Mordred would one day betray you, your majesty." Daegal said slowly. He glanced at Merlin who nodded. "It said so in a prophecy. There have been warnings amongst seers and crystals speaking of his betrayal. I hadn't understood how he could do such a thing, however. I quite like Mordred." He added offhandedly. "Though he isn't a very good tutor in regards to teaching horse riding." He added. Merlin cleared his throat. "Right, but I thought to keep an eye on him just in case. After Kara died, I thought of something Merlin said to me."

"Something _I_ said?" Merlin interrupted and Daegal fixed him with a soft smile.

"We all matter," He told him and jutted his hands in his pockets. "You said... Back in the woods when I was leading you to Morgana, you said we all matter. Kara might have been a traitor, but she mattered. Especially to Mordred." He said and Mordred's brows crinkled. "So I figured she would be the reason he turned against Arthur." He explained. Silence followed.

Three. _Three_ sorcerers and Arthur just... Hadn't noticed. Ridiculous. Absolutely -

"Mordred, I am so sorry." Merlin cut him his thoughts off. "I... It is true about the prophecy Daegal mentioned. It was a mistake to rely solely on that. I've encountered prophecies before and... Despite my attempts to change them... It was those very actions that led to it coming true." He sighed and grimaced. "I've been unkind to you and that hadn't just put Arthur's life at risk, but has left you with the burden of magic alone in a place like Camelot." He said quietly. Mordred opened his mouth - eyes widening before looking at Daegal as if hoping he might have something to say on the matter. For once, he didn't.

"I, um... Wow. I... I accept your apology, Emrys. I..." He trailed off and gave a nervous laugh. "I suppose now I can only hope that his majesty might overlook my consideration of treason...And magic." He added with a wince as he glanced at the king. Daegal gave a nod to this and suddenly all three of them were looking at Arthur.

Three of them. He couldn't _fucking_ believe this.

"I have a lot to think about," Arthur said and crossed his arms over his chest "For now... I don't believe Kara had any family come to claim her for a proper burial. Mordred, would you like me to arrange something?" He asked and the knight gave an immediate nod. "Good. Great. Um, don't leave in case... I decide to make you leave." He muttered. Daegal frowned. "Banish you. In case I decide to banish you."

"Not Merlin though, right?" Daegal asked. Mordred nodded.

"Yes, sire. You shouldn't banish Merlin."

"You don't even _know_ all he's done! He fought sorceresses and griffins and -"

"And dragons," Mordred chipped in. "Dragons too." He said and Daegal pointed to him. "I don't know if you're aware of what a sidhe is, but he's fought quite a few of those as well, I believe. Not to mention-"

"Thank you!" Arthur said loudly "I will take that all into consideration. Please leave this room." He told them both, pointing to the door. Mordred and Daegal gave mutters of acceptance at this before heading out with whispers to one another that Arthur absolutely did not what to hear. God knows what else he would find out. Sorcerers. Three of them. Hadn't Arthur suffered enough in life? He looked at where Merlin was still standing.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly. Arthur felt himself slump against the wall behind him. He thought of Morgana. Agravaine. Morgause... And very nearly Mordred.

"Why?" He asked and Merlin waited.

"Why what?"

"Why is it so easy for others to betray me?" He asked, looking up at him. Merlin's jaw tightened and he shook his head. Before Arthur could ask what that meant, he stepped forward and put a hand on either shoulder, waiting into Arthur met his eyes to speak again.

"I haven't been honest, I know. But... Arthur, I have never - _never_ betrayed you. Nor will I. I swear it on my life." He said and lowered his hands with a sigh. "Failing you on the other hand... Might be more of a concern." He said lowly and looked away. "I didn't learn after Morgana. It could have cost everything and... I'm sorry." He said, voice growing quiet at the end. Arthur didn't know what to say. There was a slight comfort to the words. He definitely didn't know anything, but at the very least something told him that Merlin was being honest. For once.

"...so," Arthur began and Merlin glanced up "The two teenage sorcerers. They're your responsibility, right?"

"Um. No. One is a knight. You have responsibility for the knights-"

"I'll be honest with you, Merlin. I do not want to deal with..." He gestured towards the door. " _That_."

"What? And I do? I can't handle both, Arthur. I tried to teach Daegal a simple fire enchantment and he nearly burned down the castle!"

"Well, if they are to stay here then I need a more experienced sorcerer to make sure they aren't burning down kitchens then, don't I?" Arthur asked. He went to add that he wasn't making a final decision yet and Merlin still had a lot to explain, but the servant (no, _sorcerer)_ was already rambling before he had the chance.

"No! I'm not even an experienced sorcerer! I'm barely even an adult, Arthur, come on! I get by on power. I have no finesse. Don't do this to me!" He said and pointed at him. "Keeping _you_ alive is enough of a job as it is. You can't add both of them on me-"

"Too late."

" _No-"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys had some nice holidays despite everything being crazy (:

Arthur had been in the midst of trying to organize new trading agreements when Merlin burst into the room with his clothes half drenched and somehow half smoking at once.

"Where the _Hell_ are they?!"

"Hello, Merlin." Arthur greeted, still pouring over a map. The various nobles surrounding the table glanced around, clearly bewildered either by Merlin’s entrance or Arthur’s nonplussed reaction.

"Did they come in here?" Merlin asked impatiently, storming over to look under the table. Arthur snorted. _"What?"_ He snapped.

"Nothing. You just look like an errant parent." Arthur informed him and smirked at the growing outrage on Merlin’s face. He waited until his face was a smidge redder before providing anything helpful. "I’m assuming this has to do with Daegal and Mordred’s impromptu hunt?" He asked and Merlin threw up his hands.

"They went hunting?!” He shouted and grabbed at his hair. "For the love - they blew up a bloody fountain and run off to _hunt?!"_ He demanded "They don’t even like hunting!”

Arthur sighed. This was sadly true. He had hoped that Mordred might at least share his king’s love of chasing a meal, but it appeared all sorcerers had a particular softness towards animals that Arthur just didn’t understand.

"Why did they blow up a fountain?" He asked instead and tapped something on a piece of parchment "This doesn’t specify how many times you would be receiving grain. Once a year? A month?" He asked, raising his eyebrow at one of the nobles as he redirected the conversation.

"Oh, um. A month, my lord." He said and Arthur didn’t bother to look up as he held up a finger to gesture Merlin over. Grumbling, he stomped towards the table and peered over Arthur’s arm.

"I would get the whole thing amended in writing,” He muttered, letting his hand hover over the top "There’s a faint curse on it that will make it binding so if the specifics aren’t ironed out then you might be stuck." He said and glared at the window. "And I don’t think they meant to blow it up - but it was only because they went through my stuff that they found the ingredients to make it explode." He said, rubbing his temples "Why do they always go through my stuff?" He whispered. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Because they’re _bored."_ He said bluntly and rolled up the parchment to slide back to the nobles “Honestly, Merlin. You can’t keep just keep showing them how to repair things forever. Mordred at least wants to know how to fight," He told him before turning to the others "Please put in the specifics more clearly otherwise I’m not signing it. Also, try to refrain from cursing the parchment.” He added dryly to the nobles and there was a sharp murmur. Arthur turned away.

"Yeah, but when I teach them dangerous stuff they go around accidentally hurting each other-"

"That happened one time and you managed to grow Daegal’s hands back." Arthur said, wincing a bit at the memory. Mordred had been so horrified that he had tried to get Arthur to revoke his knighthood. Daegal, for his part, didn’t seem to mind much due to his fascination of Merlin managing to grow him a new set of limbs.

"Still happened." Merlin said bitterly and glared at Arthur. "How long are you stuck in trade agreements?" He asked, glowering a bit at where the next man was readying his documents for Arthur.

"God, I don’t even know." He whispered back. A few were staring openly at them - mouths dropped and eyes flicking between Merlin and Arthur silently. "Want to trade places?" He asked and gave him a bright smile “After all, I very much value your brilliant insight and marvelous observation-"

"Aw... They really did a number on you, huh?” Merlin asked with a laugh, previous tension melting away as he smiled at him. It disappeared a second later. "No. I’m about to go on a hunt of my own." He added lowly. Arthur tilted his head. "Oh, come on. They’re both going to die alone in the woods -"

"You really have turned into a mother," Arthur grumbled and Merlin scowled. "What? When I first hired you we went on expeditions by ourselves-"

"Okay, but you were trained for the sort of thing and I, um." He paused and wrinkled his nose “And I had you? And magic?" He tried. Arthur opened his mouth to respond only to grimace a second later. “What?"

"...Mordred and Daegal." He said slowly. Merlin waited. "They’re sixteen.”

"Yes." Merlin nodded "Very good, sire.”

"We met when you were sixteen."

"Yes? What abou - oh." He interrupted himself. Silence followed. "Are we old?" He asked with a frown. Arthur immediately shook his head.

"No." He frowned and went quiet for a second. "...no. No, definitely not." He decided and Merlin nodded in agreement. It was at the moment that doors burst open again with a sharp scream.

"Your majesty!" Daegal yelled and dragged a horrifically bloodied Mordred inside "He’s bleeding out!" He screamed and shook Mordred’s shoulders "Stay awake, okay? Mordred. _Mordred look at me!"_

"I think I just busted my lip." Mordred said and Daegal looked him over critically.

"He could be delirious." He said stoically and Mordred frowned before lifting his hand "No! Don’t use magic. That’s how you hurt yourself in the first place." He frowned and Mordred frowned as he gave a wary shrug. "He tried to use the levitating spell to summon a stone to light a fire and it hit him in the face." He added, ignoring Mordred flushing a deep red. Merlin nodded.

"Yeah... Clearly the hunt went great." He said and clapped Arthur on the shoulder. "I’ll leave you to it." He said and Arthur spluttered. "They came in here for you and if it had been any other knight injured-"

"I’m not a physician! And I have _this_." He added. When Merlin only waved, Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You haven't been dismissed." He tried. At this, Merlin froze - giving him an outraged glare. At this point, Arthur and Merlin had forgone pretty much of formality (though Merlin tended to bring it back out again when strangers dropped by). Considering Arthur needed his honest guidance to help him navigate magical issues he didn't order him about as much. Though if it meant avoiding whatever nonsense Mordred and Daegal had gotten into... Yeah. Sure. He would pull the king card out every damn time.

"Really?"

"Just wave your hand and heal his lip." Arthur pointed out and Merlin sighed. Daegal was currently trying to check Mordred's pupils which was truly proving to be a dangerous task as Mordred was desperately trying to escape.

"No! You haven't mastered that spell!" He yelped and it was then that Arthur noticed the light in Daegal's hand. "You're going burn my eyes out! Daegal!" He shouted and Merlin snapped his fingers so that the light disappeared. They both froze. "Thank you, Emrys." He said quietly. Merlin fixed Arthur with one last annoyed look before walking over to grab the knight.

"Come on. I'll fix it and then we can talk about the fountain."

"What fountain?" Mordred asked innocently though there was a weak note towards the end. Daegel rose an eyebrow.

"He probably means the one you blew up."

" _It was you!"_

Arthur shook his head as he finally turned back to where all of the nobles were awkwardly shuffling in front of him. Running a hand through his hair he picked up the next piece of parchment, eyes flicking through it. Silence followed.

"Um... Was that one of your knights, sire? I'm afraid I didn't recognize the other boy." One asked tentatively. Arthur hummed.

"My court sorcerer's apprentice. They both are horribly mannered. I'm sorry they interrupted." He said and there was a murmur of acceptance.

"Oh. Of course. Youth can be a curse." Came the weak chuckle "I'm sure they will grow admirably into their positions." The one commented. A loud crash followed somewhere outside. There was a scream. Another crash. More crashing. A few people jumped. Merlin's voice let out a long string of cursing. Arthur picked up another parchment.

"I hope for the love of my kingdom... You are right."

* * *

About once a week Arthur was required to examine the guards. For the most part it was a dull affair. He checked to make sure uniforms were worn appropriately and ensured proper form was followed. The whole thing maybe took a little over an hour to go through all the guards before sending them off to their stations with whatever orders he would give them. Arthur wasn't sure why he was surprised to find Daegal among them. In fact, he didn't even need to ask what he was doing lined up with the rest.

"...if you attempted a disguising spell of some sort it didn't work." He said flatly and Daegal frowned from beneath the helmet.

"Really? I don't look even a little different?" He asked and Arthur sighed before lifting the helmet off of him.

"No." He said and flicked his shoulder "And I require my guards to where chainmail." He added. Daegal glanced down and sighed. "Is magic really so difficult?" He asked a little curiously. It wasn't hard for Merlin to learn... But then again, Merlin wasn't exactly equivalent to most people in that regard. It was probably an unfair advantage to actually _be_ magic. Daegal nodded.

"Mordred says it is sometimes worse than knight training." He said, taking the helmet back from Arthur. "At least _he_ has a natural affinity for magic..And it is so talented at everything he does. Really, I bet he's actually Emrys' favorite." He said with a nod. "Have you tried it?" He asked. Arthur shook his head. He wasn't sure he could ever be comfortable enough to use magic himself. Then again, he had made it this far so who knows? "It's hard... But I guess it is _really_ satisfying when you get it right." Daegal informed him and put the helmet back on. "I guess I'll try next week." He said brightly and marched out of line. Arthur watched him go. Right. Well... That at least could have gone worst.

"You _sneaky son of a bitch."_

Arthur turned to the guard behind him - brows raised.

"Excuse me?" He asked coolly - voice sharpening towards the end. The guard yanked his helmet off with a huff to glower in the direction Daegal had gone.

"MORDRED THAT WASN'T FUNNY!" He yelled and Arthur blinked. "Merlin said you had to pretend to be a guard! Mordred!" He shouted, enraged as he threw the helmet down. "Did you see that? Can you _believe_ him?" The guard spluttered. Oh no. Arthur should have known better.

"Daegal?" He guessed, hearing the wariness in his own voice. The guard's eyes flashed gold and immediately he shrunk slightly, hair darkening from blonde to brown and features morphing into more familiar ones. "So... That was Mordred?" He asked, gesturing to where the other Daegal had skipped off to. "Right. Merlin told you to do this?"

"Yeah, he said if it would be good practice and - Mordred is such a cheater!" Daegal grumbled and kicked the ground. "I'm going to shrink all of his clothes." He added under his breath. Arthur paused at that - brows crinkling slightly in confusion as he registered that last comment.

"You... Are you still a servant?" He asked, a little bewildered. He had assumed Daegal and Mordred spent so much time together because they were friends. He hadn't realized Daegal was still serving. Perhaps it had slipped his mind since he elevated Merlin to a lord not too long ago. He had figured Daegal working as his apprentice would take full priority. Daegal shrugged.

"Yeah. Mordred doesn't know how to do anything so I thought he might die if I stopped." He said. Arthur frowned.

"We could get him a new servant."

"And how are _you_ doing with your new servant?" He asked, pointedly looking at Arthur's untied boots. He gaped for a moment - already considering just arresting him out of sheer annoyance alone when Merlin came around the corner, carrying a stack of books. "Hi. Mordred cheated." Daegal said as a way of greeting. "He turned into me... And said a bunch of stuff I wouldn't say. He isn't your favorite." He muttered under his breath. Arthur raised his hands to gesture in frustration. Merlin grimaced.

"Sorry," He said "I thought this would be more discreet." He told him and looked over at Daegal "Here. Read these for tomorrow." He said, dumping the books in Daegal's arms. "And don't try to tell me you don't know how to read." Merlin added sharply when Daegal opened his mouth. "I taught you. You can't use that as an excuse anymore - Arthur, what has happened to your shoes?" He added and with a flick of his hand the laces righted themselves. Daegal fixed the king with a knowing look before scowling at the books in his arms.

"Mordred-"

"Is a knight first so he doesn't have to learn magic as much as you do. Bye." Merlin told him. Daegal sighed and gave a slight bow of his head before muttering a spell. His eyes flashed gold and the books hovered by his side as he went to stomp away. Arthur watched him go with a slight shake of his head before turning to Merlin.

"You look tired."

"Morgana." He said as a way of explanation. Arthur grimaced and looked over his shoulder at the direction Daegal had gone. "I need to undo some enchantments she's thrown at us. It'll take all morning." Merlin told him, rubbing his eyes. "So if Mordred or Daegal coming looking for me then just give them more books to read or something." He yawned. Ugh. Fine. Whatever.

"I'll take care of it." Arthur promised and Merlin rose an eyebrow.

"Really?" He asked and Arthur felt a swirling of smugness rise in his chest. This... Might actually be fun now that he thought about it. Mordred thought magic was harder than knight training, huh?

"Yeah. Daegal should maybe learn how to use a sword." He smirked and Merlin fixed him with an exasperated look. "And Mordred's been falling behind on drills anyways." He shrugged. It said something about how exhausted Merlin was that he didn't even try to save Daegal from Arthur springing impromptu knight training on him.

"Alright," He said and yawned again. "Try not to kill them." He murmured. Arthur frowned after him. Yeah... Maybe he should send Gaius after him. Or Gwaine... Or anyone who would make sure he didn't kill himself.

"MORDRED STOP PRETENDING TO BE ME!"

Then again... Arthur might be slain himself in a few hours so maybe they could reunite in death.

* * *

"Enter."

Arthur tried to look as natural as possible as the door to his chambers opened to reveal two heads peering inside nervously before Mordred and Daegal shuffled inside.

"Sire, we didn’t realize you were still in bed." Mordred blinked and Arthur had to fight to keep a straight face.

"Yes, I am... Feeling unwell." He decided, eyes flicking to where the sun was high in the sky, eliminating the simple excuse of waking up late. "How can I help you?"

"Oh. I am sorry you are feeling unwell, my lord. We just wanted to ask if you have seen Merlin as of late. Has he been taking care of you perhaps?” Mordred asked slowly. Arthur was about to open his mouth to respond when Daegal jumped in.

”We haven’t seen him all day and the last time anyone saw him was yesterday morning and he could be hurt or dying or maybe Morgana found him or -"

"Or maybe she found out he’s Emrys." Mordred added and Daegal gave a sharp intake as he nodded in horrified agreement. Arthur pursed his lips.

"Ah. There is no need to worry. I sent him to get herbs to help with my sickness is all." He said and Mordred bit his lip.

"And he hasn’t come back yet?” Daegal cut in. Mordred shifted a little, looking a little uncomfortable at pressing the conversation but obviously his concern was winning because he spoke again. 

”Why wouldn’t he bring us? He said he was going to teach us herbs.”

"Teach _you_ herbs, maybe. I already know mine." Daegel said and Mordred rolled his eyes before Arthur cleared his throat to regain their attention.

"I will send someone to look into it. Mordred, you need to train." He said and when the knight opened his mouth, Arthur shook his head.

"Yes, my lord." He muttered and grabbed Daegel’s arm. "Come on. You can help me practice." He said and the other boy groaned as he let himself be dragged away.

"I don’t want to help you. Sword fighting is boring and -" he started right as the door swung close. Slowly, the covers beside Arthur shifted and Merlin peered out.

"...we have to tell them." He said and sat up. Arthur scowled.

"None of the other knights are so nosy-“

"None of the other knights are sixteen, Arthur." Merlin said and went to leave the bed. Arthur reached over and tugged him back. "People are looking for me." He laughed but stopped his exit when Arthur gave a frown. "Besides, Mordred keeps calling to me." He added, tapping his temple "And I can’t really focus on you when he is shouting for me. Ruins the mood." He said and Arthur flopped back onto his pillows.

"Very well." He said bitterly and Merlin gave a slight scoff. The humor was short lived since a second later the door flew open again.

"Your majesty!" Gwaine's voice called as he marched in "Mordred and Daegal say Merlin is mis - oh." He said, freezing as he looked over at where Merlin and Arthur were in the bed. "Huh." He frowned and nodded. "Okay then. Hi Merlin."

"Hi Gwaine." Merlin answered and slowly raised his hands as if speaking to an animal. "Please...Just... Don't react immediately..." He said slowly. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Breathe a word and I _will_ behead you-"

"We can pay you." Merlin added, hitting Arthur with an irritated look. "Just don't make a big deal-"

"I know where you live." Arthur reminded him with a stern point in Gwaine's direction. "Keep quiet." He warned. Gwaine kept staring. Finally, he took a step back. Then another. And with a final step he exited the room, leaving the door to close. Merlin bit his lip. "Well... So much for keeping it a secret." Arthur muttered and sat back up. "I bet he's already running off to Percival and Elyan."

Merlin sighed.

"Well, maybe we can at least keep him from telling-"

"HOW _COULD_ YOU?!"

"Ah. There it is." He said and looked at where they door had once _again_ reopened (where the Hell were Arthur's guards anyways?) . Daegal and Mordred had pretty much tripped over one another to get inside - both glowering at them with pinched expressions and scowling lips. "We were just-"

"Do you have _any_ idea how worried we've been about you?" Daegal asked, throwing up his hands. Arthur turned to look at Merlin, who blinked. "And you've been... What? What have you been doing?" He asked. Oh. Oh no. Arthur winced as Mordred went bright red and yanked at Daegal's arm. He leaned over and whispered something. Immediately, Daegal made a face. " _Gross_. You can't do that!"

"Get out." Arthur advised.

"Um, sorry about that, my lord." Mordred said and wrinkled his nose. He went to take a step away but paused. "What exactly does this mean?" He asked. Arthur sighed. He just couldn't win, could he? "I just mean, is Emrys still going to tutor us?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Merlin groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, clearly you have new priorities." Daegel muttered and when Mordred nudged him, him threw up his hands. "I am just incredibly disappointed in both of you."

"You can't yell at the king." Arthur told him. Daegel sighed.

"I am incredibly disappointed in one of you."

"He has a point, Emrys." Mordred chipped in and Merlin gaped. "You're obviously missing other duties to be here!" He said loudly, gesturing around the room. "Have you even _started_ negotiations with the other druids?" He asked and Arthur had to turn his laugh into a cough as Merlin's expression grew more outraged. "And you let us all worry after you-"

"Which was _rude!"_ Daegal added loudly with a shake of his head. "We have things to do too, you know! We can't just be looking after you all the time. Mordred is missing training and I promised to help Gaius make another healing potion." He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "And instead we're here! Oh! And you lied to Leon-"

"Leon?" Arthur interrupted with a frown. "Neither of us have spoken to Leon."

"Well he said something about poetry which _clearly_ you are not engaged in." Daegel sniffed and put his hands up as if he had suddenly had enough of both of them. "I... Come on, Mordred. Let's go." He scowled. Mordred have a polite bow before letting Daegal drag him out of the room with the door slamming loudly behind them. Merlin stared - absolutely frozen with his face bright red and lips barely parted. Arthur put a hand on his arm.

"Did... Did I really just get yelled at?" Merlin asked and Arthur bit his lip. It did very little to hide the laughter as he leaned to his side, burying his face into the mattress. "He's like _five."_ Merlin spluttered which only made Arthur laugh harder. "And Mordred took his side! Mordred hates upsetting me!" Merlin added, voice rising. "Stop _laughing!"_ He added, shoving at Arthur.

"Leon told them we were reading poetry." Arthur continued - still laughing. "Dear God - did you see Mordred's face?" He added and this seemed to break through Merlin's outrage as he scoffed. "He called you out for missing negotiations." He added and at this, Merlin smiled a bit (though not without a roll of his eyes). "Aren't those tomorrow?" He added.

"Yeah, I rescheduled them last week. I hadn't realized I needed to inform Sir Mordred of my schedule." Merlin muttered and ran a hand over his face. "...is it weird I feel a little bad?"

"Well, Daegal is _incredibly_ disappointed in you-"

"Shut up."

* * *

The first time Daegal had saved his life had been... Rather alarming.

It shouldn't have been. After all, that is what Merlin had been training him to do. And, well, technically Daegal had already saved his life prior to this. So all in all... It shouldn't have been alarming. Only Arthur remained obstinate in his opinion that there was nothing more disturbing than having someone jump off of a balcony in order to catch a frog while chanting nonsense very loudly in the middle of Arthur's speech.

"What the - ?" Someone managed as Daegal shoved them to the side - eyes gold as he waved his arms. A zap of light came from his hand, narrowly missing the frog and hitting one of the pillars. A few people screamed and scrambled back as Arthur hesitantly drew his weapon. Daegel jumped again in an attempt to land on the frog but only ended up knocking more people over as he got up again.

"Arthur! Duck!" He yelled and giving only a second of hesitation Arthur hit the ground right as there was a sharp crack. Rolling over, he glanced up to find the crowd frozen in place as Daegal gave a yell in triumph. From beside him, Merlin was holding out a hand - using his free arm to put on Arthur's shoulder in case he needed to shove him back down. "AHA!"

"What the Hell?" Merlin muttered and there was a collective gasp as a new figure rose up, disoriented as Daegal's eyes flashed gold again and sent the stranger staggering. Merlin muttering something and ropes appeared - snaking around the person's legs and arms. "Daegal's who the Hell is this?" He asked and Daegal's wiped some mud off of his face to grin.

"This... Is an assassin. He's a sorcerer and his name is Garbin and Morgana sent him to kill Arthur." He said proudly. Arthur blinked. "I noticed that frog was following him around so I decided to see if it was actually a frog and it _wasn't_ so I caught him!" He added eagerly. Silence followed. "I _caught him!"_ He added. There was scattered applause. Arthur glanced over at Merlin's stunned face. So he hadn't known about this apparent assassin then.

"How did... When did you even...?" Merlin began and looked at Arthur. "Okay." He managed and nodded. "You... Okay. Good job, Daegal." He said slowly. Daegal beamed and looked at the tied up figure with an almost apologetic shrug.

"I'm sorry I had to catch you, but you would have assassinated the king." He explained as if the man wasn't aware of why Daegal had attacked. "I'm the court sorcerer's apprentice so it is kind of my job to help protect the king. You understand." He said as the guards moved in, pulling out iron cuffs and chains as they approached the sorcerer. "Mordred. _Mordred_." Daegal added and gestured vaguely. "Look!"

Somehow... It wasn't the strangest way someone had saved his life.

* * *

Arthur was of the firm belief that his men were honorable and kind as they came. Every last one of them had been built of decent bones that Arthur was proud to say served him.

However... They were also sometimes the bullheaded bullies that Merlin accused them of being.

"Mordred, what on Earth are you doing?"

"Um...Melding the saddle, my lord."

Well. Arthur wasn't completely innocent himself. And it was all in good fun.

"Ah. Of course," He called back, fighting a grin "I trust you have your breeches on inside out?" He called, ignoring Percival's sniggering as he moved the horse forward there was a panicked noise behind them as they continued on the worn path in front of them, trees chattering with birds and squirrels jumping from tree to tree somewhere above them.

"...my lord?" Mordred squeaked and before Arthur could show him any mercy, Elyan cleared his throat.

"Daegal!" He called and the other boy looked up from his own horse to tilted his head. "Why aren't you melding your saddle?" He asked and the rest of the knights gave a firm murmur of disapproval. "We have a long way to go. I would hate for you to be uncomfortable because you refused to meld it properly." He said. Daegal's eyes flashed gold and the trail above them cleared itself of wayward leaves. 

"Merlin told me not to listen to any of you." He said. Gwaine gasped.

" _What?"_ He demanded, "We are well trained knights! He doubts our skills? Merlin thinks because he's all fancy with his magic that he is above us!" He crowed in fake offense, placing a hand on his chest. Leon rolled his eyes but gave Daegal a small smile as Mordred began to look suspiciously around them. "You know, Daegal... I bet he's just hazing you." Gwaine continued. Immediately, Arthur bit his lip to hide a smile.

"Hazing me?" Daegal repeated slowly. "How so?"

"Well, he's trying to get you to look like an idiot because you're new." Percival jumped in, sensing the bait. "I bet when you return to Camelot all sore and moody he'll have a right laugh, right?" He asked the others. Arthur hummed in agreement.

"It does sound like something he would do..." Arthur frowned, clicking his tongue. "After all, this is your first patrol without him. He probably doesn't just want to test how your magic is coming along, but also test your judgement on who best to listen to." He explained. Arthur glanced over his shoulder. Daegal's brows were furrowed - lips pressed into a thin line as he looked over at Mordred who was giving the boy a helpless shrug and then at the other knights. "Besides, he does love a spot of trouble." Arthur added.

"Ah, yes. Daegal, have we told you of Merlin's misadventures before you two came along? Have you heard them Mordred?" Leon asked. Gwaine brightened - clearly pleased the other knight had decided to relent and join in the game. Daegal shook his head.

"I know some," Mordred said slowly "But not everything."

"Well, once Daegal is ready to meld his saddle then we'll let you in on all the juicy secrets your Emrys has been keeping from you!" Elyan winked. "Trust me... You won't want to miss out." He promised. Arthur waited. He peered behind him again to see the look of uncertainty passing the boy's face as it crumbled from stagnant disbelief to idle curiosity. After a whispered conversation with Mordred, he pulled his horse over. Gwaine let out a low cheer.

"Wait," Mordred said, getting off his own horse "I need to fix my breeches-"

"Merlin is going to kill us." Leon sighed.

* * *

Merlin had trained Daegal too well.

Not in magic - though his magic _was_ coming along quite nicely if that brilliant defensive maneuver he used he other day was anything to go by - no... Merlin had trained him on _Arthur t_ oo well.

"Eat this. Here's your clothes. You can't train until the council meeting is over." Daegal said and stuffed an apple in his mouth. Arthur wrinkled his nose. It was a familiar wake up, surely, but it wasn't Merlin doing it which felt foreign and definitely uninvited. Even if Merlin wasn't his servant anymore he still did certain things like waking him up. He wasn't sure why Daegal was here.

"Where's-"

"There was an emergency in one of the outlying villages. Someone attacked a druid camp so him and Mordred went out to rectify it." Daegal explained and yanked the blankets back. "Come on. You're going to be late." He prodded and Arthur blearily sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Mordred?" He asked and then shook his head. "Right. Mordred. He's the only druid knight I have." He mused and stretched his arms. Mordred was pretty young, but he had every confidence in his skills at this point to be alone on a quest. And if Merlin was there it shouldn't be too much to worry over. "And why are you-?"

"Because the other servants say they can't deal with you. Henry has asked if I can take over his job permanently." He said, referring to the ninth (or was it tenth?) servant he had gone through in an effort to replace Merlin. "Now, come on. I have potions to brew this afternoon and I can't do that if I'm still getting you out of bed." He told him. Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"I'm the king."

"And I'm Daegal. Let's go."

Dear _God_ it was like Merlin's voice coming out of this small infant's mouth. The audacity. In fact, Arthur was pretty sure he and Merlin have had very similar conversations before... Without the mention of potions and what not obviously. Sighing, he let himself be pulled up and a shirt tossed at his head. Oh well. At the very least he could rest easy knowing he wasn't actually attending that dreaded council meeting today. Arthur didn't often like to miss meetings or any of his duties (no matter how taxing they were) but every so often... They threw him a meeting that even Arthur knew had absolutely no real use. What was it about again? The color of the drapery? Honestly, they could just send him a parchment with the color options and the whole thing could be done. Arthur wasn't sitting through that.

At least he had thought so... And he had made it all the way out towards the stables to make his escape too. 

"Your majesty! The kitchens!"

Arthur knew... He just _knew_ this was a trap. Merlin did this every time he tried to miss a meeting. He picked the most beloved place in the castle (which, you know, was where the food was) and created some sort of emergency that Arthur would have no choice but to check out. It was a textbook ensnarement to ensure his attendance of this horrifying meeting... But they were also supposed to serve custard puffs tonight...

"I'm coming." He called, leaping over the stall wall to where the warning bell had already gone off. He tried to tell himself that made it was a legitimate emergency as he weaved and dodged through the hall. A few people scrambled to get out of his way while others watched in awe as Arthur practically catapulted himself to the other side of the castle to where black smoke was beginning to rise. "Is everyone alright?" He yelled, pulling out a sword only to find the kitchens empty. The fire in the corner wasn't actually much of a fire at all...Just a single plate of bread fuming brightly in the corner. There was a snap and it went out.

"There you are. The council meeting starts in a few minutes."

Damnit.

"Daegal." He greeted slowly, turning to find the boy stealing some grapes from one of the bowls. He looked him up and down. "Listen. You know I've always been... _Very_ fond you-"

"Merlin told me to make sure you went." Daegal interrupted and plopped a grape in his mouth with a shrug. "And, no offense, your majesty, but... My loyalty lies with him." He said. Arthur scowled.

"Well, his loyalty lies with me so..." Arthur said and then added "Plus, I can put you in the dungeons."

"Oh, go ahead. I'm sure the councilors will be _very_ impressed that you imprisoned me for trying to get you to speak with them." He said smugly. Arthur rolled his eyes. Theoretically, Arthur could throw Daegal in the dungeons and tell his councilors to mind their own damn business because that was within his very birthright to do so. However... Arthur had also worked very hard to ensure people have a mutual feeling of respect regardless of status within his kingdom. He couldn't let it be undone because Merlin got himself an obedient puppy and a couple of shoddy draperies.

"I'm going to remember this." He said and Daegal held out a cup of tea.

"It's your favorite. Merlin told me how to make it." He said and looked around "And between you and me... I might have added in a bit of whiskey. I've seen those meetings. You might need it." He told him solemnly. Arthur rose his eyebrows. Slowly, he took the cup from him and gave it a small sniff. He wondered if Gaius had helped with the blend of herbs or if Daegal really had made it all himself. Or maybe he used magic. Licking his lips, he took a small sip. Huh... Not bad. And the whiskey would be much needed if he was honest.

... Come to think of it. Arthur might actually like Daegal.

* * *

"You stole my servant."

"Focus, Mordred."

"I would be more focused if I didn't have to - _how does this work?!"_ Mordred hissed as he glowered at one of the ties on his armor. Arthur sighed and walked over to tighten it. "Why do I even have to compete in a tournament?" He asked, yanking at his chainmail. "What if I lose? Will you be angry?" He asked, glancing towards the edge of the tent where the crowd cheered fiercely outside for one of the other competitors.

"Tournaments are part of knighthood, Mordred. You can bring great honor by showing your skills as a member of Camelot's greatest army." He said lightly and when Mordred bit his lip, shook his head. "Nobody is going to be upset if you lose. It's your first time. The fact you're a knight at all is impressive." He promised and hit the side of his arm. "And if you want I can send Daegal to attend to you. I'll have someone else help me today." He said. A weak smile hinted at Mordred's lips before he nodded and took a long breath.

"Okay... Sorry for, um, yelling." He winced and Arthur smiled. "I made it through the first round at least. That's something. I really thought he was going to get a hit in too." Mordred added with a frown. Arthur mirrored the expression. Yeah... Mordred definitely should have lost against an opponent so large and skilled. It had been unfair to match him against the man to begin with and even more bewildering to see him prevail. Arthur had a sneaking suspicion why, but wasn't about to tell Mordred his theory.

"Just remember to keep your elbows in. You get sloppy under pressure." He reminded him and grabbed the helmet on the table beside them and put it on his head. "Good luck." He smiled. Mordred nodded - eyes wide as he took one last breath and pushed past him towards the flap of the tent. The cheering rose and Arthur smiled. Already a fan favorite then.

Speaking of fans...

"Daegal!" He called, exiting the back of the tent to find the servant leaning against the wooden fence encircling the arena, eyes fixed on the fight in front of them. Merlin was sitting up front - looking horribly bored as both Mordred and his opponent bowed to him. Arthur smirked at the sight of it. Since Arthur was competing he couldn't really oversee the event but had been all too pleased to stick an outraged Merlin in his place. No doubt the act alone would cause a ruckus of gossip, but Arthur thought it was worth it.

"Your majesty," Daegal smiled and glanced at him. "Congratulations on your win."

"Thank you." He said and joined him at the fence. "You'll be attending to Mordred the rest of the day." He added and Daegal gave a short nod. "Also, stop helping him." He added casually. At this, Daegal tensed - mouth parting for a moment as he flinched before giving Arthur a quick shake of the head.

"What are you-"

"Deagal." He interrupted and the boy fell silent. "If Mordred had wanted the aid of magic he would have used his own." He told him, voice going gentle towards the end. "I know you want to help him, but it is considered cheating for you to step in-"

"That man would have taken his head off!" Daegal protested immediately "He had no business being matched up against him anyhow." He muttered, taking a long breath. Inside the arena, the fight had started with Mordred deflecting several hits from his opponent. Daegal flinched at the sound of the metal. "This is an awful form of entertainment." He said bitterly. Mordred ducked to avoid another hit and rose his shield.

"The swords are blunt." Arthur promised and clapped a hand on his shoulder "Nobody is going to be hurt."

Daegal didn't look convinced but nodded anyways. Mordred struck forward - moving into a more offensive position as he gave a quick swipe at the man's legs and quickly moving up to make an attempt to disarm. Arthur hummed in approval. It was becoming more natural to him. Good.

"You didn't intercept my fight did you?" He asked and Daegal scoffed.

"You're the best fighter here. Besides, Merlin wouldn't let anything happen to you." He added with a nod at where Merlin was being distracted by Gwen whispering something in his ear. Arthur shrugged. That was probably fair.

"Mordred disarmed me a few times. You're not acknowledging how skilled he is-" He said and Daegal flinched again when Mordred deflected another hit. It was almost immediately followed by a parry and then without even a second of hesitation Mordred's sword flicked around his opponents and twisted so that the weapon went flying to the ground. The crowd screamed. "See?" He asked, beaming when Mordred pointed the tip to the other man's throat.

"How many times does he have to do this?" Daegal asked instead. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"At least once more. If he keeps winning... Maybe six?" He guessed and Daegal grimaced. Personally, Arthur wanted Mordred to face him in the finals. It would be fun. However, based on how well Gwaine and Elyan were doing... Pretty unlikely. At least Mordred would be fighting Leon next. Daegal could have that comfort. "Go help him get ready." He said, shoving his shoulder "And stop being so nervous. It's going to make him nervous." He said. Daegal muttered something under his breath that didn't sound particularly pleasant as he marched over. Arthur shook his head.

"What did you tell Daegal about tournaments?" He asked a few minutes later when he finally made is way to the front of the arena. Merlin blinked up at him innocently.

"Might have mentioned a few stories. Valiant... Sir Ethan and Owen... Those sorts of things."

"Stop stressing him out! He's being paranoid over Mordred." Arthur said, throwing his helmet down to sit next to him. " _You_ are already paranoid enough for all of Camelot." He added, poking at his arm. Merlin sniffed.

"You make me paranoid." He muttered and made a face. "Over _Mordred?_ I meant for him to be looking after you. Who would try to kill Mordred?"

"Didn't you try to kill Mordred?"

"Don't you have a tournament to fight in?" Merlin threw back with a scowl. Arthur grinned.

"You're right... And I'll head off to win that just as I have won this argument." He said brightly. Merlin spluttered, turning to hit at Arthur's arm as he jumped away to head back to the tents so he could prepare for his own round. An inane attempt, really. He only had seconds of peace before someone was shouting his name once more.

"Daegal? I thought you were with Mordred." He said, straightening his gauntlet as the servant came sprinting up again. The boy held up a hand, clearly out of breath as he leaned over.

"Mordred... Said... Merlin... Had... A... Message." He said between breaths. Arthur's brows shot up. What? "You know, cause they have... The weird... Mind thingy?" Daegal explained, tapping his temple. "So Merlin told Mordred to tell me to tell _you_ -" He gestured vaguely and took another breath. "That you're a dollophead." He managed. Arthur stared. Slowly, he looked back towards the stands. Merlin waved.

"Well then. You tell Mordred to tell Merlin-"

"Your majesty," Daegal interrupted with a wave of his hand "I know I am your servant and his apprentice but... I don't think this is within my pay range." He managed and pointed over his shoulder "I'm going to help Mordred with his armor. Bye." He managed and walked off. Arthur frowned as he left. Whatever. He would just tell Mordred to send the message later. After all, Mordred was clearly more loyal to Arthur than Merlin at this point... At least he hoped so. Because he was beginning to realize the absolute terror of power that Merlin wields having those two under his wing.

Then again... As Arthur watched Mordred and Daegal exit the tent tossing a ball of fire between them... Yeah. That power wasn't worth the stress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was mainly supposed to be about Daegal but... I just adored writing Mordred and Daegal so there you go lol

**Author's Note:**

> A moment of silence for Mordred CONSTANTLY being slighted in my fics. I promise he is going to get SO much love in the very next fic. Well, maybe not at first, but within the first chapter lol.


End file.
